Finding Your Feelings
by Toyo Miko
Summary: His father had called upon Joseph to summon his familiar, decades late. He had thought it a fool's errand and expected it to end in failure and explosions as it always had. Life would then continue on as if it had never happened. He never could have imagined he would succeed nor the impact his familiar would have upon his life.
1. Chapter 1

**This way I literally cannot follow the stations of canon which I have come to quite dislike. This will mostly be short snips since I have trouble keeping focus writing long chapters, though I'm getting better. Setting is likely to stay in Gallia for the most part and will start before canon. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"Your dad is kinda grouchy." a green haired girl in a yellow shirt and green dress said from atop her shoulder seat.

"That's not nice to say to a King." the middle aged man with blue hair and similarly blue regal wear replied.

"He's a King?!" he recoiled slightly, his ear ringing. Maybe he should reconsider letting her ride on his shoulder.

"Yes." he answered after regaining his balance.

"Doesn't that mean you're a prince?"

"I am."

"You don't look like a prince."

"And that's not a nice thing to say to me."

Joseph d'Gallia ignored the odd looks he received from the passing servants. To them, it would look like he was talking to himself. He was already being called the 'mad prince who talked to ghosts or something'. Amusingly, the servants were not as quiet as they thought they were.

And telling everyone that he had an invisible familiar that only he could perceive... would only exacerbate their views.

"I smell some really nice food."

"That's because we're near the kitchen." Joseph waved a hand in the direction of the left corridor. Another right after at the end of the corridor and you would enter the kitchen where the servants were busy preparing lunch.

"Ooh! Can we go there please?"

"No." he replied whilst going the opposite direction.

"Aww… why not?"

"Because Isabella is waiting for me. We can have lunch after that."

"Who's Isabella?"

"My daughter."

"You have a daughter?"

"Yes."

"Then who's your wife?"

"She died in childbirth." he replied without missing a beat.

"Oh…" Koishi, for once since her summoning, lost her bubbly enthusiasm. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." he replied in monotone. It had been so long ago and there really was no one who could have helped when even the best water mages failed.

"So what's your daughter like?"

"Bossy and a bit of a sucker up to me."

"Well that doesn't sound too nice."

"She can be quite sweet when she wants to."

He stopped walking right before the suite reserved for him and his family. The sole knight on guard gave him a respectful salute and opened the door for him.

"Wow! This is a nice room." Koishi commented as he let himself in. The guard closing the door behind him.

"Indeed." he scanned the lounge for his daughter. "Isabella?"

"Father!" he spied the blue hair of his daughter popping out of her room. "You're back! Can we have lunch no…"

Her voice died in her mouth when she came out into the lounge. "Who's that?"

Joseph felt a measure of surprise when he realised that his daughter was looking directly at Koishi. That would make her the first person aside from himself to even notice her presence.

"Hi! I'm Koishi!" Koishi floated off of his shoulder and landed right in front of his daughter. "Nice to meetcha!"

His daughter reared up in surprise though he didn't know whether that was from Koishi flying or her upbeat personality. Composing herself, she cast a questioning look at him to which he nodded. Looking back at the waiting Koishi, she performed a small curtsy before adding "Isabella d'Gallia. A pleasure."

"So are we gonna have lunch now?" Koishi left quickly Isabella to float back onto his shoulder.

He simply nodded and held out a hand to his daughter. "Let's go Isabella."

His daughter hesitated and gave an odd look at Koishi before grabbing onto his hand, allowing him to lead her out.

"Father, what is Koishi to you exactly?" Isabella asked as soon as they were out of the door.

"My familiar."

"Yup! He summoned me."

"Familiar? But I thought you said you can't do magic." Isabella sounded surprised.

"My father proved me wrong this morning." and now he had an invisible girl floating by him.

"Yeah! But he was really grumpy about it."

"That's because he couldn't see you."

"Oh. Did he want to see me?"

"Yes he did and now he thinks I've gone mad over."

"Well that's not very nice of him." Koishi huffed out. "We should have a talk with him."

"That's not a good tone to have with a king."

"Isn't it? But I spoke to gods like this and they had no problem."

"Umm... Father?" He heard Isabella meekly call from behind.

"Hm?" Joseph stopped and turned around to look down to Isabella. "What is it?"

"Can... can I also ride on your shoulder?" She asked. He quirked an eye at the unusual behaviour. It was rare to see his daughter act shyly.

"Aren't you a bit old for that?"

"Ah..." Isabella turned her face away. "I understand."

A tap on his shoulder had him see Koishi frowning disapprovingly. She jabbed her finger back in the direction of Isabella and he turned around just in time to see the twinkle of tears before his daughter spun away from him again.

Joseph closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. Kneeling down by his daughter, he took hold of her hand and pulled her close. "I never said no."

And the joyous gleam in her eye and the dazzling smile that appeared on his daughter's face gave him the first genuine smile he's had in a while.

* * *

"Joseph. You're late again." His father said as Joseph entered the dining hall.

"And hello to you again father. You needn't have waited for me." He replied in monotone.

His father's eyes shifted onto Isabella and under his cold gaze she squeaked and hopped off of his shoulders. Joseph let out a breath and stretched his shoulders as his daughters weight vanished. Founder, but he had no idea she had gotten so heavy.

"Go take your seat Isabella. I'll join you in a minute." He gave a slight push to his daughter's shoulder.

She nodded and gave a curt curtsy to his grandfather before departing.

"Have you cleared your head since our last conversation?"

"Since I still see Koishi, probably not."

"Hmm?" The girl in question broke out of staring at all the food at the mention of her name. "Oh hey! It's grumpy dad again."

"Don't call him that." He murmured softly. And back to his father, he said "If you still doubt my familiar's existence, ask Isabella. She can see Koishi."

His father scoffed and turned to head towards his seat. Joseph took only a moment to fall in step with the elderly man. Without turning, his father said "Your daughter would agree with anything you say, I suspect."

"And do you wish I would do the same?"

His father halted in his step. "Perhaps I do or perhaps I don't." And with that he seated himself without another word.

Joseph shrugged and seated himself next to him as was his place as a prince. His father dodging the question wasn't an unusual occurrence. It just meant he wasn't sure on the answer himself.

Looking down at his plate, he was less than amused to see that it was empty. Not empty as in the servants forgot to put anything on it, but empty as in someone ate everything on his plate.

He picked up his goblet and shook it. The weight of finest Gallian wine missing. She even drank his wine.

"I... I'm sorry father. I tried to stop her." Isabella uttered from his side.

Having more than just a suspicion on the identity of the culprit, Joseph lifted a single hand and patted the shoulder where Koishi had settled herself. His hand met only the cloth of his shoulder, the space that Koishi had filled before replaced with empty air. So that's why she was so quiet all of a sudden.

Where is she...?" He muttered to himself as he scanned the vast hall for his wayward familiar.

It didn't take very long to identify a floating girl in a yellow dress eating out of a plate. The unfortunate noble below her now aggressively demanding his neighbour to stop hiding his food.

He briefly entertained the idea of reining in his wayward familiar but decided against it. He flagged down the nearest servant and ordered some food.

For the duration of the lunch, Koishi would be someone else's problem.

* * *

"This is booooriiiing."

"Quiet! Father's working."

Joseph d'Gallia pretended not to hear the two bickering behind him as he read through the reports. Whilst he was here in Versailles, the news from his own fief of Navarra were forwarded here. It wasn't much really; there were only budget reports and permissions he needed to sign. The minister he left in charge was probably doing a better job of administering his fief than he would.

"Why are you even watching?"

"Because I'll be the one in charge of the duchy one day and I want to be ready when that day comes!"

"Wow! That's really responsible of you."

"Well, it's to be expected from someone like me."

Hmm? Captain Louis wants a budget increase to counter the growing banditry problem. Reading through, most the money would be spent on hiring more men and equipping them for more patrols. He signed that off quickly. The number of complaints about the bandits were beginning to stack and if these new patrols could cull their number, then it would be most helpful.

"You know, I don't think you'll learn much just by watching."

"Well... then I'll..."

He felt someone tug on his shirt. Diverting his attention away from his work, he looked down to see his daughter. "Yes?"

"Father... is there anything that I can help with?"

"Ooh! I'll help too!"

Isabella snapped an irritated look at Koishi. "Do you even know how to read?"

"Of course I do!" Koishi floated up and grabbed the first book she could reach from his desk. The account ledgers for Navarra from the looks of it. "This is uh... this isn't Japanese is it?"

"Ha! So you can't read!"

"Yes I can! I just can't read this."

Joseph shook his head at the two as they started to bicker again. He didn't really need the help of either but he doubted they would simply accept that. Looking at Koishi and Isabella again, an idea came to mind. "Isabella, you can help by teaching Koishi how to read."

"That sounds like a great idea!" Koishi beamed.

"What! But I don't want to!" Isabella admonished.

"Aww, why not?" Koishi appeared right in front of Isabella's face. His daughter taking a step back whilst her hands tried to push Koishi away but to no avail. "Please, please, please."

"No! Why should a princess teach a... uh... someone like you!?" Isabella jeered a finger at Koishi.

"Cause Jojo asked you to?" Koishi innocently said.

"Jo...jo?" Isabella did not even a second to understand and in that second, her entire body began to quiver. "How dare you refer to father by such a name!?"

"Eh? Why can't I? Saying Joseph all the time is such a mouthful though. "

"I'm sure father is offended by such a name!"

"I've been called worse." Joseph said. And really, this would probably be the first name that was not malicious nor denigrating. He placed a hand on Isabella's shoulder and brought her around to look her in the eye. "Look Isabella,it will help me greatly if my familiar could read. So could you please teach Koishi the basics at the very least."

"B... but can't you just get some servant to do it instead?" Isabella protested.

"So far you're the only other person that can see her. So no, I can't." Joseph simply replied. He looked back at Koishi. "Actually… you never did tell me why no one else can see you? ...or why Isabella can."

"Oh! They can see me, they just don't notice me." Koishi told them.

"Isn't that the same thing?" Isabella asked.

"Nope." was the only answer she received.

"And why can Isabella notice you?" Joseph repeated his question.

"I dunno." Koishi shrugged her shoulders. "Kids always seem to notice me for some reason."

"And the eye thing?" Joseph asked first, cutting off the outrage about to burst from Isabella at being called a kid. "What is that?"

"Oh? It's my third eye." Koishi lifted up the closed purple eye. "I closed it a long time ago."

"Why would you keep an eye closed?" Joseph asked her with curiosity. This was so far the most mature and serious talk they've had so far. A very good chance to learn more of his familiar without getting silly answers all the time. "Is there actually any use to it?"

"It lets me read minds." Koishi replied, her tone turning melancholic. "But reading people's minds all the time is really depressing, so I closed it."

Reading people's mind... That sounded like a very useful ability. Social interactions and diplomatic meetings would be much easier if he knew what the other person was speaking about.

"But now it's much easier for me!" Koishi's cheerfulness returned in full force with a smile. Joseph wasn't exactly sure how… or where she had hidden that… but Koishi managed to materialise a white porcelain mask into her hands. Hugging the mask tightly to her chest, Koishi added "Life is much more fun now especially since I found this mask!"

Koishi then skipped back right back to being right in front of Isabella. Isabella holding her ground this time as Koishi flashed her a pleading look. "All that aside. I'll be under your care. Please take care of me." Koishi performed a bow.

"...What?" was the confused reply from Isabella.

"You're teaching me how to read right?" was the innocent reply.

"What! No! I never agreed to anything yet!"

"Yet. So you'll agree later!"

"Never!"

Joseph gave a bemused smile before turning back to his work. He had never seen Isabella react like so before. Usually she would pull her rank to get what she wants though he supposed she couldn't really apply that to Koishi with her ambiguous social status and her personality.

He picked up another sheet and skimmed through it. Something about needing funds to repair a bridge that collapsed. Why they couldn't just grab some earth mage to do it, he didn't know. It sure would save a lot of time rather than building it conventionally.

"So what does this mean?"

"I'm not talking to you anymore."

"You're talking to me now."

"That doesn't count."

"Still talking to me."

"That also doesn't count."

"And you're still-"

"Gah! Be quiet!"

Ah… perhaps having a familiar wasn't too bad after all.

* * *

**I would like constructive criticisms since, like most of us, I'm an amateur at this stuff. Advise and pointing out errors would be most appreciated. :D**


	2. Chapter 2

"So who's the birthday girl?" Koishi asked from the seat beside him.

"Cousin Charlotte." Isabella replied.

"Ooh! And what did you get her?"

"Just some random jewelry."

"And how about you Jojo?"

"Don't call hi-"

"Isabella." Joseph interrupted. "Don't bother. She's been doing it for the last week and won't stop just because you ask."

"But father!" Isabella complained but that was about as far as she got when he met her with a stare. She shrunk down into a slump

"If you want, you can find some name for her or something."

"Yeah!" Koishi chirped in. "You can call me Big Sis"

Isabella glared at Koishi angrily. "By the Founder, I swear I'm going to..."

"Please don't kill my familiar."

"No, no. I wasn't thinking of such." Isabella hastily reassured him. Well... not really reassuring since he doubted there was any real substance behind her words "I was going to swear that I... um..."

"Was going to call Koishi her Big Sis."

"Was going to call Koishi... gah! You shut up!"

"Stop teasing her Koishi." He half-seriously reprimanded.

"I'm teasing her?" Koishi responded with innocent surprise. Whether that was genuine or not; he wasn't entirely sure.

He left the question unanswered and slumped deeper into the cushions of his seat. Isabella contented herself by turning away from the both of them and staring outside her window. Koishi seemed to be thinking about... something.

For this brief period of their trip there was serene silence. A rarity since his summoning of Koishi. He wondered how long it would last.

"Are we there yet?" Koishi suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

Not very long apparently.

"No." Isabella replied without turning around, her gaze kept fixated on the countryside.

"Do you know how much longer till we get there?"

"I don't know." Isabella followed up with a shrug of her shoulders.

Koishi deflated for a bit but then quickly turned to him. "Do you know, Jojo?"

Joseph saw Isabella twitch at the casual mention of his nickname though at least she wasn't verbally lashing out anymore. He, personally, didn't understand the issue with the name.

But back to the question asked of him. He leaned his head slightly out the window and called out to the coachman "How long till our destination?"

"Three more hours milord." Was the reply he received.

"Three more hours." He relayed back inside.

"Awww... why won't you just let me fly there?"

"I don't want you causing trouble in Orleans."

"Hey! You make it sound like I'm a troublemaker!"

"Grandfather was not appreciative of his crown floating in the middle of court." Isabella quipped.

"Well Jojo found it funny."

"It was amusing until he noticed." And then his father proceeded to lock down the palace until he found out who had dared to make a fool of the king. Predictably he found no culprit though that hadn't stopped him from keeping everyone from leaving till nightfall.

His father could be quite the tyrant though he supposed it was a benefit of being a king.

"Yeah... that was... um... sorry?"

Isabella scoffed at the apology. "A bit late for that. Do have any idea how boring it was to sit down doing nothing for hours on end?"

"Oh wait, you wouldn't because you just flew off and left us." Isabella continued with mock shock.

"But I brought you guys some snacks."

"Ah... you did... but they were terrible snacks!"

And not to mention the looks they received when muffins materialised in front of them.

"That wasn't what you said when I gave them to you."

Joseph tuned them out as a knock on the side of his carriage caught his attention. Pulling the curtain aside, he found himself face to face with the captain of his guard. "What is it?"

The captain hesitated as his eyes shifted through his carriage and its occupants. "I was... just inquiring if everything was fine milord."

Joseph eyed the captain. "Yes. Everything is fine. Why do you ask?"

"No, I don't want to play that danma-something game with you again!"

Joseph didn't say anything. And neither did the captain as Isabella continued to bicker with Koishi. To him, he could hear both of them fine.

A shame that the good captain couldn't.

"Um... my men heard the princess shouting milord. I... ah..." the captain seemed hesitant to outright say Isabella was talking to herself. The implications of such a statement could be perceived as an insult and insulting royalty, within the earshot of said royalty, was never a good idea.

And well, Isabella wasn't really talking to herself but only he knew that. And Koishi, he supposed, but he doubted that she would be telling anyone soon.

Joseph reached out a hand and firmly planted it the good captain' shoulder. The younger man flinching upon his touch. Looking him directly in the eye, he spoke in a slow and deliberate voice. "She is talking with my familiar. My familiar is unperceivable to anyone but myself and my daughter. And you will not speak of this to anyone else."

The captain hardened his eyes and nodded. "On my honour as a Knight of the White Lily, I shall not speak of this again."

Joseph nodded once and released his grip. Withdrawing back into the carriage, he turned around to face the expectant look on Koishi's face. "What?"

"What did he say Jojo?"

"Oh... we're only two hours away now."

"Really? Wow! Time sure flies by fast."

"It sure does."

* * *

"Welcome to Orleans Prince Joseph." The guard said with a salute. "Just a moment please."

Without further ado, the guard pushed open the door and allowed them into the front room of the manor. "A servant will be with you shortly."

Joseph gave him a nod and waved him off. And when the door slammed shut behind him, he took off into the manor; Isabella trailing behind him without worry.

A few of the noble guests still waiting shot him an interested look. The man in green livery looked as if he wanted to talk. Joseph didn't give them a spare glance.

"Eh? Aren't you going to wait?" Koishi asked as he opened rounded a corner into a corridor.

"I've been here often enough to know where I'm going." Joseph replied as he passed by a pair of servants pouring wine into glasses.

"You come here often?" Koishi asked as she snuck two glasses away from the servants. She gulped down one glass in a single swig and offered the other to him. He accepted it without fuss and continued his walk without missing a beat.

"Hey! What about me?" Isabella cried out from behind him.

"Kids shouldn't drink alcohol. It's really bad for you, you know?" Koishi said in a tone that almost sounded stern.

"You have no right to say that to me when you're just a child yourself."

"I'm not a child! I'm like… I gotta be like a hundred or something."

"Liar! There's no way you can be that old!"

"I'm not lying!"

"Ah! Here we are." Joseph spoke more to himself than his two followers when he finally reached the door that lead to the back. From past history, Charles had always arranged for any parties or festivities to be held in the spacious back garden. Today should be no different.

Pushing open the door, he was hit with the near deafening sound of the masses outside. He cursed softly under his breath. Had Charles warded his home against sound or something?

The gardens were thronged with nobles and their families, all dressed in their finest livery. The black and white of the servants scattered across the garden.

"There's a lot of people..." Koishi muttered in a stunned voice.

He mutely agreed as he scanned the crowd. Knowing Charles and his popularity, he was probably where the crowd was the biggest. It did not take long to spot a circle of people with almost everyone facing inwards. A familiar head of blue splat in the center.

His grip on the book shifted slightly as he spotted all the presents for Charlotte behind the group. Fine jewellery made of gold and rare gems, exquisite dresses that were presumably the latest in Gallian fashion, decorated boxes of what he assumed were delicious sweets.

The grip on his own present slackened slightly. Compared to all that, his book seemed insignificant. Couldn't he have gotten a better gift for Charles's daughter?

"Ooh! Is see someone with blue hair! Is that your brother Jojo?"

"It has to be. Only those of the royal family has that shade of hair." Isabella answered from behind.

Koishi floated up higher, tilting her hat slightly to keep the sun out of her eyes. "And I see a girl with blue hair with him too. Is that Charlotte?"

"Almost certainly." Isabella replied. Joseph felt a tug on his sleeve. "Shall we, father?"

"Um..." he hesitated. Presenting such an insignificant gift seemed... wrong. He recalled now that Charles had taken Isabella on a ride with his dragon for her last birthday. And what did he get for his daughter in turn? The first book that looked mildly interesting from his library. Perhaps he should forego meeting him now and attain a more suitable to present first. "I think that..."

He felt a hand grip onto his other sleeve, a much more firm and solid grip. Looking up, he caught Koishi staring at him intensely but that looked faded away to let her trademark smile bloom.

"Let's go!" Koishi exclaimed and flew towards where Charles was. Her grip on his sleeve not letting up.

"Urk." Joseph stumbled on the first step as he pulled off balance. His left foot dragged into the grass whilst his right was hopping in a desperate attempt to keep up with the pace forced upon him.

"Gah! Slow down! Slow down you imbecile!" He heard Isabella scream from behind him as he began to find his feet and started running.

Taking a glance behind him, he saw that Isabella was stubbornly holding onto his sleeve, her other hand clasped over his forearm.

She got her wish soon after. Koishi's grip on his sleeve disappeared and he found himself falling forward. Reacting as fast as he could, he planted a foot in front of him and grunted as the rest of his body stopped its descent. Turning to his side, he brought out his arms just in time to catch Isabella before she face planted onto the grass.

As Isabella huffed in the embrace of his arms, his eyes went straight to his familiar. "Koishi..."

"Sorry, sorry." Koishi said while looking somewhat apologetic about it. And as soon as that was done, a wide smile brightened her face. "But now you can't run away."

Run away? Run away from wha...

"Joseph? Are you alright?"

Turning away from Koishi, he followed the voice to see Charles hurrying towards him. The crowd parting to let him pass. Did she really just... his eyes darted back to where Koishi was but saw only empty air.

Ah... that little... Koishi was trickier than he thought.

"I'm fine." His eyes went down to Isabella. "How about you Isabella?"

"I... I'm okay." Isabella wheezed out as she picked herself out of his arms.

"Need a hand?" Charles said again as he extended a hand down for him.

He took it and let himself get pulled up. "Thanks Charles."

"Not a problem." His brother returned with a smile. "Now that everyone's fine. Let me be the second to welcome you to Orleans!"

It took Joseph only a moment to reply. "The guard at front was the first I assume."

Charles's smile only got wider. "Of course. I'm sure Artagnon will be happy you remembered him."

"I'm sure he will." Joseph muttered.

Kneeling down, Charles picked up her hand and pecked it. "Hello to you as well Princess."

"H... hello unc... Charles." Isabella tried to keep her voice neutral though the red tint on her cheeks betrayed her emotions.

"Why don't you go join the other children with Charlotte? I hear their playing some new game."

"Ah… yes!" Isabella quickly scampered off, glancing back at them with every second step.

"So how have you been Joseph? Father not giving you too much trouble is he?" Charles said as he got back up and started to lead the two of them onwards.

"Not too bad. Father is getting grouchier though."

"Is that so?" Charles said as he weaved his way back past the dwindling crowd, who had the good sense of leaving the royals to their private conversation. The few that remained were being politely diverted away by the all too friendly servants. "I would attribute it to his age. You can't expect him to be chirpy and enthusiastic now would you?"

"It would be an improvement to his mood."

Charles snickered. "And you say you don't have a sense of humour."

"I don't."

"I'm _sure_ you don't Joseph."

"Where is Charlotte?" Joseph decided to change the subject.

"Charlotte? She's... "Charles scratched at his head. "That's odd. She was right here a moment ago."

"Well… I got this… book for her." Joseph awkwardly held the book out to Charles. His gaze unconsciously shifting back to all the other more magnificent and expensive presents. "I'm sorry that I didn't bring a more appropriate present."

"No, no!" Charles dismissed his apology. "A book is perfect for Charlotte. She can't go a single night without reading just a bit. In fact, if I don't stop her then she'd spend the entire night reading."

"Just _one more chapter I suppose_?" Joseph said, remembering their own father scolding Charles for staying up the entire night reading when they were still children.

"Exactly. She probably inherited the habit from me." Charles happy mood turned to surprise as he read the cover the book handed over to him. "This book… where did you find it?"

"In the library of Versailles." Joseph replied. "Sorry again. I'll try to get Charlotte some… cake next year perhaps? Does she like cake?"

"That depends on what type of cake." Charles answered offhandedly. He held the book up slightly. "The Hero of Ilvadi. Some people would say this is a heretical book."

"...I'm sorry." was all the Joseph had to say. He had no idea that the book would be controversial.

"But I am not one of those people." Charles said as he opened the book and blew off some dust. "Do you know the tale?"

"Not really." Joseph admitted. He was never an avid reader like Charles was. He had been for a time when he had still thought with enough study and hard work he could keep up with his younger brother but he had broken free of his delusions years ago.

"Its a tale of a man who slew dragons and beasts of myth. A man who would rush to the aid of others no matter the situation. He would fight off Orc attacks on hamlets, slay dragons that threatened kingdoms, hunt down minotaurs that feast on men's flesh."

"And what's the heretical part of it?"

"Ilvadi wasn't a mage. All the feats he performed were with commoner weapons; swords, spears, bows." Charles continued in a hushed voice. "The Church would see it as a silent protest by commoners to the rule of nobles."

"And how do you see it then?" Joseph asked since Charles was clearly waiting for him to ask.

"I see exactly what the book says: a hero named Ilvadi. A man that would risk his life against creatures far more powerful than him for completely selfless reasons." Charles sighed wistfully. "If he had been born a noble, he would be trumpeted as greatest of knights."

"A pity then."

"A pity indeed." Charles agreed. He smiled again. "I'm sure Charlotte will love this book. Thank you Joseph. Sincerely."

"Ah… you're welcome." Joseph widened his eyes in surprise, though, when Charles held the book back out to him. "What? Why are you…?"

"It's your present to Charlotte. It's only right if you give it to her."

"Can't you just do it?"

"I can." Charles admitted. "But I'm sure she'd appreciate it more if it was you."

Joseph met the amused look in Charles's eye and sighed as he took the book back into his hands. "Alright then. Where is she?"

"She's…" Charles started before trailing off as he looked around. An embarrassed chuckle escaped his lips. "Ah… I think my rambling has led us off course."

Looking around for himself, Joseph realised that they were now at the very back of the garden. Or it should be anyway since there didn't seem to be any archways in the hedge that would allow them to press onwards. "Let's head back then."

"Agreed. The other children are probably swamping over Charlotte by now."

"It comes with being so close to the throne." Joseph remarked. Closer than he might be too since father was clearly going to give the throne to Charles rather than him. The better son did deserve it over the idiot one.

"You don't know the half of it."

"I suppose... Isabella is quite good at driving away the more annoying followers."

"Now if only Charlotte was half as good." Charles chuckled again. "She's just too nice to say no to all the other children."

"Perhaps we can have her learn a few tips from Isabella?"

"Now if only..." whatever Charles said was drowned out by a shout that almost made him wince. "Heya Jojo!"

Turning in the direction of the sound, he saw Koishi... walking towards him whilst leading... Charlotte?

"Hmm? Joseph?" Charles asked as he, in turn, stopped.

"There's Charlotte." Joseph answered, his hand pointing out to where Koishi was. What would Charles think of his daughter being led along by nothing?

"...You mean she's behind the hedge because I don't see anything there."

"You don't... oh." Joseph muttered. He saw what was going on. "Just follow me."

And with that, he took off in the direction of Koishi and Charlotte. The two girls in the middle of a conversation.

"...seph is your master?"

"Yep!"

"Is he nice to you?"

"Yep! He's a big ol softie."

"Really?"

"Mhm."

"Koishi."

"Hm?" Koishi looked up to see him. "Jojo!"

"Who's Koishi?" Charles asked, sounding immensely confused.

"My familiar."

"Jojo, meet Charly! She's my new friend."

"You have a familiar now?"

"She's my niece and yes I do have a familiar now. She's right in front of us with your daughter but you just can't see them."

"Oh! Charly is your niece… then that means… HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLY!"

"Thank you Koishi."

"I should've gotten you something! Maybe I can find some takoyaki here!"

"Joseph."

"Ta… ko… yaki?"

"And why exactly can't I see them? What exactly is your familiar anyway?"

Joseph closed his eyes and rubbed at his head. Now he was losing track of who was speaking. It was… Koishi first then Charlotte then Koishi again...

"H… hey? Why can't my dad see me?"

"Oh right." Nothing happened as far as he could see but suddenly Charles took a step back in surprise so Koishi must have done something that he couldn't see.

...He needed a rest.

"Charlotte?" Charles spoke his daughter's name in surprise.

"Dad." Charlotte mumbled, slightly embarrassed at the whole thing. Off to the side, he saw Koishi smiling broadly.

"Koishi…" he mumbled his familiar's name.

"Jojo!"

* * *

**Done with introducing characters. Probably next chapter in Koishi's POV as something of an interlude and then moving onto something that would progress the plot I guess.**

**As always, please review if you have critique or notice any errors and thanks for reading.**


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